Danish, Norwegian ships leave Limassol port for Syrian seacoast

BEIRUT, January 03, /ITAR-TASS/. Two Danish and two Norwegian ships have left the Port of Limassol and made the way towards international waters near the Syrian seacoast.

Two dry-cargo ships and two coastguard vessels will be in international waters to enter the Syrian port of Latakia at any moment in order to load containers with chemical weapons, Norwegian Defence Ministry spokesman Lars Magne Hovtun said on Friday.

Russian and Chinese military ships - the Pyotr Veliky heavy nuclear missile cruiser and China’s Yan Cheng will ensure security while containers are transported to one of the Italian ports where they will be reloaded to the U.S. Cape Ray for further elimination.

Head of the OPCW-U.N. Joint Mission Sigrid Kaag said a certain delay did not prevent the international community from conducting the operation.

Chemical weapons should be withdrawn from Syria till February 5, 2014. The most dangerous agents will be eliminated outside Syria not later than March 31, 2014. The others will be eliminated by June 30, 2014.